The Mustang Baby
by BleedingCoffee
Summary: Roy and Riza's son Maes is the Amestrian version of the Lindbergh Baby. Someone has kidnapped the Furhur's son and Edward Elric arrives to help an old friend save his family.
1. The Ransom Note

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA

Summary: Roy and Riza's son Maes is the Amestrian version of the Lindbergh Baby. Someone has kidnapped the Furhur's son and Edward Elric arrives to help an old friend save his family.

AN:An entry for fma_fic_contest prompt # 283 Cold Comfort. 2nd Place. Couldn't just leave this with a 250 word count and had to expand on it. Will be a simple 2 chapter fic.

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_The Mustang Baby_

Chapter 1

**The Ransom Note**

* * *

Edward Elric slowly advanced down the corridor and managed to go unnoticed as people hurried back and forth; everyone in a rush to go somewhere just to be able to feel like they were doing _something_. He stopped as he came to the living room of the Furhur's house where the Mustangs would spend time with family and friends on better days. Today it was where Roy sat alone, shoulders slumped as he stared at his hands with a heavy air of despair settling over him on the sofa. Ed had seen the man in some of the most desperate times, but this was something different. This was a father who was trying to cope with his ability to do nothing despite having the powers of flame alchemy and the resources of Amestris at his fingertips. A man staring at the ransom note left by the kidnappers who took his barely year old son Maes from his crib and left him a scrap of paper.

Ed entered the room and those dark eyes that usually exuded confidence just looked up at him hopeless and lost. He could no longer offer his alchemy to help but it would do little good anyhow. "Let's go get them Mustang, I'll be damned if I'm going to let some bastard take another Maes from this world."

Roy nodded. It was better than the hollow promises and cold comfort offered by everyone else who milled about waiting for the kidnappers to make the first move. He stared again at the ransom note in his hands and stood, absentmindedly brushing off dog hair from his uniform. Even now, on the brink of another personal disaster, he still had to look the part of the Furhur he so desperately wanted to become. His eyes took in the message on the paper again and he wondered if this goal of his would cost someone else their life. So much had already been sacrificed to be here, but none of them were an innocent baby who was supposed to reap the rewards of his life's work. He was supposed to inherit a better world, not end up with Hughes in the ground too soon.

"You just going to stand there all day and read?" Ed snorted.

Roy couldn't help but look up at the blond who was now a respectable height and looked less burdened than he had in his teenage years. In those days Roy had somehow slipped into the role of an older brother and father figure in Ed's life without truly realizing it until the Promised Day. It was like any of his other responsibilities, he just made the Elrics part of his team and protected them. Hell, everyone did, nobody that those kids met ever considered not helping them. It wasn't until he was blinded and wallowing in shock and self pity on the Promised Day that it really occurred to him that it was more than just a friendship or responsibility, they had somehow become a family. Edward Elric, champion of justice, stood there and berated some monster as he was trying to bring about the apocalypse because it was unfair that Roy have his sight taken. He didn't perform human transmutation, this man was better than that. He felt a surge of pride that the kid was standing up for him, for what was right, trying to make Truth and God play by the rules they set down. He was proud of him, then realized that pain in the ass kid was outraged because Truth had taken something from Roy Mustang that it wasn't allowed to have. Him, someone who had a lifetime of mistakes to pay for suddenly was being defended by a kid who lost so much in his quest to restore his family. Of course he sat there, useless, unable to assist him and felt like he let him down in his most needed hour...just like Hohenheim did.

"Mustang!" Ed snapped. "Go get changed into something less obvious so we can start looking for Maes."

"Sorry Ed...my mind isn't exactly functioning properly at the moment." He took a deep breathe and pushed away thoughts of the past and focused on the present. He blew some dog hair off his hand and finally his mind clicked back to operational. "You're right, I'll go change."

"Of course I'm right." Ed smiled.

Roy gave him a warm smile. "Let's go tell Riza what we're up to and see if we can't recruit another member for our search and rescue team."

Ed fell in behind him as the left the family room. All those people who seemed to be rushing back and forth moved aside for Mustang as he strode down the hallway focused on his destination and nothing else. Ed watched their faces and saw relief and optimism, they had no idea how to proceed with this problem and they looked to their leader to tell them what to do. It made him angry, after everything Mustang had given to this country that nobody, save him, was here to ease the burden and help him find the way out of this. Was there nobody that could step up and help? Did they have to make him do _everything_? Didn't they understand what this kind of situation could do to a man, just the mere thought of his own twins being taken from him had his stomach in knots. He glared at them as he followed in Mustang's wake, and a few people went back to their routine of walking the halls aimlessly.

Roy walked into the study and saw Riza at his desk with a map of Central City spread across it. She was maintaining her focus by keeping control over the security detail she was in charge of. Investigations division head, Lt. Col. Fraizer, was standing beside her with a notebook of suspects he had compiled. It was a long list, Roy knew that, between the surrounding countries, pissed off top brass, scared aristocrats, bitter politicians and some irritating citizens...there were a lot of people who would want him to lose something so precious to him. To see him brought to his knees and push him to the brink of anger and destruction that he had visited when he confronted Envy. _That_ Flame Alchemist would terrify the people of this country, _that_ man would undermine everything they had tried to achieve in the last few years.

Riza looked up at him, his soft eyes expressing his silent apology for not preventing this and for not having Maes back in her arms already. She knew better than to ask if he had some news so she let her eyes shift to Edward as he walked in behind Roy. She was surprised to see him, but not surprised he would come. He must have been on the first train out of Resenbool when he heard the news. She put down her pen and walked over to give the young man a hug. "Ed, I'm so glad to see you."

Ed smiled as a rather heavily pregnant Riza Mustang tried to hug him. Now he knew why she wasn't out looking for Maes herself. It had to be killing her to be out of this and behind a desk. At any other time he would have started teasing Mustang about making up for lost time and popping out as many kids as he could in succession. He felt guilty for not keeping in touch, for not knowing that Riza was expecting again.

Roy moved over next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Quietly he said, "We're going to go out and look."

She wanted to demand to know what exactly the two of them thought they could find in this city that the police, Military police and damned near every citizen couldn't. However he was already bent down and holding the ransom note to Black Hayate's nose and she felt a catch in her throat as she realized he had finally come up with a plan. She was so distraught that she had actually doubted him, thinking they had finally found the one scenario that Roy couldn't tackle.

"What do you think Hayate? Can you leave your Mom for a little while and come with me? Help us find Maes?"

Hayate wagged his tail and sat down, looked up at Riza and waited for instructions.

"Please, boy, find your little brother." Riza said, choking back a few tears.

Roy rubbed the dog's head and stood, placing a light kiss on Riza's cheek before whispering. "I don't want to leave you with this..."

"I can handle it." She finally pushed back her emotional response and looked to him. "Just promise me you won't do anything rash."

Roy took a deep breathe but didn't have a chance to say anything as Ed piped up.

"Don't worry, we'll bring them in for a trial when we find them." Ed answered. "Come on Mustang, go get changed into something less obvious."

Riza watched Roy shake his head and thought she heard him mumble something about advice from Fullmetal about less ostentatious apparel before he left the room. She grabbed Ed's arm and he knew what she was going to ask. "You know his temper..."

"Yeah." Ed didn't need a reminder of that night in the tunnels with Envy. He knew that rage would bubble to the surface and push aside any rational thinking when they found the kidnappers. Then again he was not one to judge, he tried to beat Shou Tucker into a pulp once upon a time. "I'm a little less prepared to talk him down this time. I don't have alchemy...and..."

Riza took her pistol and her back holster off and pressed it into his hand. The same gun she had given him when he was just a teen and the weight of it was no lighter now that he was older. "Ed, you shoot him if he goes that far again."

Ed felt his heart pound as he stopped breathing. "I can't do that..."

"Don't kill him, just wound him." She said. "It's going to be your only defense against him. The only way you're going to be able to talk to him if he...loses control."

"I..."

"You _can _shoot straight and hit a target can't you?" She asked, now concerned that a injury might end up a fatal wounding if Ed's aim was terrible.

"I can, yeah." He said.

"I hate to ask you to do my job, to carry that burden for me, but this is a battle I can't fight with you two." She sighed. She kept telling herself someone needed to be here to be in charge of the investigation, to be here in case the kidnappers called or made more demands, but in reality she was nine months pregnant and not fit for field duty.

"I can do that." Ed said, though his voice cracked and betrayed his lack of confidence.

Riza heard her husband's aggravated voice from the hall and her shoulders slumped. "You might need to prove that to me right now."

Ed was surprised as the raised voices got closer and he wondered who was pissing off Mustang. He could only hear Roy's voice and the source of his irritation hadn't had a chance to reply back, or was doing so quietly. "Who's that?"

"My grandfather." Riza said quietly. "Who has not quite realized that retirement means he should stop trying to tell the current Furhur how to do his job."

"Oh." Ed turned as Roy came back with a scowl on his face escorting former Furhur Grumman into the study. The old man also seemed miffed. He could understand that, he was never all that thrilled when Pinako told him how to be a parent or brushed off his demands by saying she was a great-grandmother and could spoil the twins as much as she wanted. This had those vibes all over it.

"Riza, your grandfather seems to be lost." Roy said coldly. "Maybe you can remind him this isn't his house anymore and have him escorted home."

"God dammit Roy!" Grumman snapped. "Quit treating me like I'm senile just because you don't like what I'm telling you!"

"You're telling me that I have no right to go look for my son!" Roy growled.

"You are Furhur! That responsibility means you _have_ to let your people do this for you! It's no different than when you were in command of troops!" Grumman hissed back.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Roy glared at him. "I'm going to take the dog for a walk, play some fetch. Can't do that in a blue uniform without getting dog hair on it."

"Maybe you still are too young for this job." Grumman mumbled.

"Maybe you are too old to remember you don't outrank me anymore." Roy looked to Ed and said. "I forgot to ask if you wanted to put your bag in the guest room."

Ed nodded and he and Hayate followed Roy out of the room, having to jog to keep up with him as he stormed down the hall and to the main stairs. Now those people who were milling about just averted their eyes to avoid his wrath. He trotted up the stairs, having a hard time keeping up with Mustang's pace. "So I take it he's not here to offer support and wait for the return of his great grandchild?"

"Nope." Roy said and opened the door to the guest room as he reached it. "Son of a bitch just won't let the job go. I appreciate having an adviser, but I'm not going to have him criticize how I take care of my family."

Ed nodded in understanding. God, they were getting old if they could sit down and share a drink and bitch about in-laws. "Yeah, I know how that is."

"I'll get changed and be right out." He squeezed Ed's shoulder thanking him for being a friend. "I needed a reason to get my blood boiling, grief only clouds my judgment."

_Anger does too. _Ed didn't want to start a fight with him so he kept that to himself and walked into the bedroom to get settled in. Ed never really considered what kind of life the Mustangs were choosing to live when they took over running the country. It was an interesting contrast to what his own life was now: no alchemy, two kids ,a wife and money pit house he was always fixing. Even the most constant thing in his life, Alphonse, was hundreds of miles away in Xing with his princess and his own family. Life now was surprisingly quiet and stable, something that he didn't expect to ever have after they lost their mother. He still had the wanderlust, eased by visits to Xing or a quest for knowledge to some far country, but he was growing homesick faster now that he had Winry and the twins waiting for his return.

Here however, Roy and Riza were finally married with a family and it was all under the spotlight. Their house was hardly a sanctuary, it was as busy as the Furhur's office at Central Command. Every aspect of their life was under scrutiny, every decision had to be made as a professional not a personal one. To fix the country for everyone else and future generations, they had sacrificed their own privacy and time to keep it all running smoothly. He stood there and drank it all in and wondered how many gray hairs Roy really had. He knew the man's vanity, he would never let a sign of age or stress show, so he had to be dying his hair to cover the reminder that this job was draining away his life.

He looked up as he heard the door and wondered how long he had been standing here getting depressed about his former commander's chosen life. It didn't impact him until now that the man clearly felt this was some sort of penance for what he had done along the way to get here. Ishval, Winry's parents, Hughes's death...nothing seemed to be enough to make up for those lives. Then again, he was no stranger to the cost of a soul, the cost of a life. He had to get himself together, right now they were on a mission to save another innocent who had no part in any of this and shouldn't have been taken.

Roy tucked the fedora down further over his eyes and waited for Ed to emerge from the room. "We'll have to slip out the kitchen to avoid being seen. There's a back stairwell over here."

Ed stepped outside of the room and frowned. "Seriously? You go incognito in a three piece suit?"

Roy smirked. "Always so critical." 

Hayate trotted down the stairs ahead of them and jumped off the last stair into the kitchen. He wagged his tail and waited by his leash for Roy.

"Critical?" Ed scoffed. "More like realistic. We don't have time to be fending off fangirls."

"Are you complimenting my appearance?" Roy stopped and turned to look at him as they neared the kitchen.

"Just wondering if you started dying your hair." Ed grinned.

"Fullmetal, you're taking that househusband job of yours _way_ too seriously if you're wanting to talk about hair care products and fashion." Roy smirked as he saw the scowl on the blond's face. "Thanks for coming."

Ed's scowl disappeared and his face took on a softer expression. "That's what friends are for."


	2. I Need a Hero

"How can you let him go?" Grumman sat in the study and watched his granddaughter avoid looking at the photos on the wall and on the desk of her family. He was concerned by her behavior and worried about the effects of having her son missing for a full two days. Even if his grandson-in-law was happier biting his head off, he felt obligated to be here in case Riza need someone to talk to. Unfortunately it was like a game of chess, having to trick her into talking about what they were struggling with since neither would allow themselves to appear that weak.

"You have no idea what were going through. How one minute you can be overwhelmed with panic because someone so precious has been taken from you and then the next be completely washed over with guilt for being incapable to save the one person in this world you're supposed to be there for!" It was a feeling she knew too well unfortunately. Though it was getting harder and harder to stay strong. She sunk into the chair at the desk and looked at the picture on the desktop of their happy family. Roy with a proud grin on his face with his left arm around her and Hayate in his other arm. The black dog was happily hanging like a stuffed animal, draped over Roy's forearm, his paws wrapped around him and his nose stretched out to sniff the swaddled baby Maes in her arms. It was the day they came home from the hospital and introduced the new member of the pack to their furry family member. Her eyes welled with tears as she recalled the moment and she averted her eyes, looking for anything on the desk to distract herself.

"Elizabeth, you have every right to tell him to stay, he should..."

"He should be out there looking because he's damned good at saving me, you and everyone else in this country! Because Roy and Ed are the ones who have saved the world and saving a baby should easy for them! So no, I won't ask him to stay here where he feels useless."

"I'm sorry. In just trying to help."

"You are, you're distracting me. It's why Roy needs to be out there because he can't think in here. It's suffocating. The pity, the anguish...the people looking at you wanting to know what to do when right now all I want it to be myself again. Now I know what Roy feels all the time, the burden of command he wears so well."

"What can I do to help?" Grumman asked as she looked up at the ceiling fan to try and refocus herself.

"There are these blissful moments of denial when it feels like its just a nightmare that this can't be real. That after everything we've done and been through that God wouldn't let this keep happening to us. That we've sacrificed so much to pay for our sins and its never enough. I...I'm so scared of losing Maes but I'm terrified of losing Roy because of this too. Yet here I am sitting here letting him go out there alone despite knowing I should be there beside him. Because that's who we are, we're a team. " She looked down at her belly and rubbed it protectively. "However I have to stay here because I can't help him right now."

"You're right, of course." Grumman said. He was trying to keep his responses simple, using them as a prompt to keep her talking and not derail the conversation. "If anyone can find him it will be those two."

"If I work, if these people keep coming up to me asking pointless questions I can distract myself. I found myself asking someone to make sure Hayate had a fresh bowl of water when he came back. That he was going to be tired, he doesn't realize he's not a puppy anymore. Ed's distracting Roy, he's always been so good at that. When he was young they fought, then it became a mutual jabbing at each other now they tease and laugh it off. Ed's great at keeping a positive outlook, he always looks out for those he cares for and makes sure they don't let the situation get them down. I'm glad he's out with Roy right now, because I can't say that I'd be strong enough to keep it together. I wasn't when I thought Lust killed him, I gave up. Roy needs to be worrying about himself and concentrating, not focused on me. They're both good men, always worried about others before themselves."

Grumman watched her rub her eyes and blink away the tears. "Well it's a good thing I piss him off then. I'm glad I could help with the distractions."

She gave him a smile. "Don't try to play that off as a strategy."

He cleared his throat. "So what did the kidnappers demand for ransom?"

"A philosopher's stone." She replied and went back to looking at the picture on the desk. All those times she told him he was useless in the rain, now it seemed like the tables had turned and here she was sitting this one out. A tear ran down her cheek and fell on the paperwork sitting on the desk. To not be by Roy's side felt unnatural. Worrying about him out there, worrying about what he might do...it made her ache in every fiber of her being. Combined with the fact that her heart felt ripped in two with Maes missing and their new baby kicking up a storm in her belly, she finally gave in and pulled the trash can over and vomited.

* * *

Ed sighed as the aging dog found yet another trash can to piss on. They had been walking around Central for an hour and he was beginning to have his doubts about Black Hayate's contributions to the rescue team. He was about to suggest they go back to the house and start over, using their own eyes instead of Hayate's nose.

Hayate took a few steps and sniffed the trash can, then knocked it over.

Ed sighed again as the contents of the trash can dumped out onto the curb and the dog started digging through it. He looked at Roy who still seemed to be on board with letting the dog lead the investigation but Mustang was pretty well known for his adoration of canines. He grumbled as Hayate barked and drug a dirty cloth out of the trash.

Roy bent down as Hayate brought the filthy blanket to him. He held it up, it was a terrycloth baby blanket with no distinguishable markings covered in beer and ramen. There was no way to tell if it was Maes's or just trash. All he had was Hayate's word and the dog was already back in the trash can digging for more treasures. He was well aware that in his current state he couldn't allow himself to see this as confirmation of anything, without further evidence this was just a discarded blanket.

"Is that..." Ed was afraid to ask and he let the word just linger on his tongue instead of being vocalized.

"I don't know." Roy answered. He felt guilty, as if he should know what blanket his boy had been wrapped up in two days ago.

Ed looked down as Hayate pulled a stuffed panda out of the trash. His heart stopped. "That is. That's what Al and May sent him."

Roy dropped the blanket and Hayate placed the stuffed animal down on it. It was filthy, as if it had been dragged down the street. He looked up as Ed threw the rest of the trash on the ground and picked through it. Thankfully no baby appeared however Hayate trotted away down an alley and barked at them. "He's caught another scent."

They both ran after the dog as he scampered down the narrow alley, jumped a sleeping hobo and dodged a bucket of dish water being thrown from a back stoop. Hayate scampered around the corner and Roy saw the traffic in the street and panicked. "Hayate! Watch the road!"

Ed almost slammed into Mustang as they emerged from the alley and Hayate stood there waiting for them. His nose was to the ground and searching, the scent clearly harder to find on this well traveled sidewalk.

Roy held his breath as Hayate sniffed the ground and then dashed across the street and into the cemetery. Once he recovered from the near heart attack of seeing the family dog race across the busy thoroughfare he looked ahead of him to see where he was. Then his heart almost stopped a second time. He had to tell himself he didn't believe in bad omens, it was just a damned park with dead people buried in it. "Dammit."

Ed felt his stomach churn. Central Cemetery? That's where the scent lead him? Ok, Ed, it's just a place with tombstones and planted corpses...it's not some sign that the baby is amongst the dead. They watched the traffic and once a break came they both dashed across the street to the cemetary entrance.

They had to jog to keep up with the aging dog as he almost disappeared from view. Roy knew the cemetery pretty well, no matter what entrance he used he knew the path he had to take to go to Hughes's grave and they were on their way there. He was going to scream his head off if Hayate brought them to the wrong Maes. However they were quickly approaching his best friend's grave and Hayate was still a hundred yards ahead of them, sniffing and advancing with a bark to tell him to hurry up.

Ed breathed a little easier as they were clearly going to not stop at Hughes's grave, but he felt bad passing by and not paying his respects. Hayate's bark told them it was not time to linger so they sprinted up the hill to where the dog was waiting. _We could really use your help here Hughes if you're watching._

Roy felt a sinking feeling in his gut. I was as if his internal organs had been removed and a hallowed out torso remained as an echo of despair reverberated though his core. They were heading deeper into the cemetery, where the more prestigious graves were; Old families, high ranking generals and politicians and dead Furhurs.

"He's stopped." Ed said as they both ran to the dog's location as he sniffed and barked at a little flower arrangement next to a large grave.

Roy looked down at the flower arrangement that looked like it should be at someone's wake...or was. The flowers were beginning to die and it was the only thing in front of the grave that looked new. His throat went dry as he read the ribbon across the small piece, 'I miss you Daddy'. He gulped, feeling the sting of those words pierce his already racing heart. Then his eyes lifted to see who's monument they were in the shadow of and the world just stopped as he saw the etched name 'King Bradley'.

"Shit." Ed said as his own golden eyes had taken in the scene and fallen on that name out of the past. A name that should have stayed in the past, buried like the body under this statue he didn't deserve. He felt like the real world melted away around them and huge granite monument was lording over them like the Gate. He half expected to see Truth's grin next, and that voice telling them there was another toll that had to be paid. He collect himself as Hayate barked, letting the visions fade and the reality of the serene cemetary come back into focus.

Roy's mind raced as Hayate sniffed the flowers and ripped off that ribbon in his mouth and placed it at Roy's feet with a growl and bark. The words, 'I miss you Daddy', shocked him again and made him want to sink to his knees and vomit. He hadn't felt this way since Ishval, kneeling in the ruins of his work and wretching as the acrid smoke and charred flesh assaulted his senses. Even after everything they had been through after the war, he didn't have to deal with this feeling again until now. Instead of giving in to the nausea, he listen to his gut feeling and said the name that he felt was being whispered in his ear. "Selim."

"Pride!?" Ed said and felt his throat get tight. The last homunculus , the only one who survived the Promised Day. He was allegedly being raised by his mother as human. Surely if he had shown signs of being anything less than a little boy they would have done something by now! An uneasiness settled over them as the wind blew and the ribbon was caught by the wind.

"Well, I guess we're going to be paying Mrs. Bradley a visit and asking her what her son has been up to." Roy closed his eyes. He couldn't let his temper flare up, he had to stay calm and focused. There was no evidence that the boy was behind this, only a gut feeling and the family dog's word.

Ed noted the cold edge to his statement and cleared his throat. "I thought she and Selim were being watched..."

"My predecessor created a secret guard unit that would watch and monitor the boy as he grew up. " Roy said. _Dammit Grumman!_ "However you and I both know that Homunculus don't exactly play by the rules. If he's not just a 'good little boy' like his mother insists he is, then he could easily slip out from under the noses of those soldiers. They're only human, they can't comprehend what he used to be. They only see a little boy and think they are protecting him from enemies of his father."

"We are enemies of his father." Ed said.

"He's also all his mother has left. She would protect him no matter what." Roy shook his head and took off his fedora to run his hands through his hair. "I fought Grumman on this, I told him he didn't understand the gravity of the situation. That he was just as naïve as everyone before him who thought humans could control homunculus. "

"Don't jump to conclusions Mustang." Ed said and Hayate let out a whimper to voice his opinion. Clearly the dog agreed with his master's husband. "Let's go visit Bradley's house and see what we can find. I'll sneak in, you can be yourself and see if you can get anything out of Mrs. Bradley. I'm pretty familiar with Pride, if he's in that body again then his arrogance won't allow him to not flaunt it."

"What if it's just Selim Bradley?" Roy said and tried to stay calm. His anger was beginning to boil to the surface the more they talked about the circumstances that lead to the last homunculous living in Central under armed guard. "Looking for revenge for his father? Mrs. Bradley probably told him the old man was a hero."

"What if we quit speculating and go find out?" Ed said and gave Mustang's shoulder a slap. "We've got a lead Mustang. We're getting closer."

Roy bent down and scratched Hayate behind the ear. "I'll call Breda and have him meet us with a car, we can't walk there."

"You're trying to figure out what a homunculus really is, aren't you?" Ed asked. He had contemplated the same thing once. They were man made monsters, but they both had enough experience with them to know there was so much more to them. Greed had shown them that.

"I know how I want to deal with it." Roy said sadly. "I have to push that aside though and not act like an outraged father, I have to act like a Furhur now. If I do what I want...then I am no better than this man here. Wrath."

So that's why they were still standing here? So he could remind himself who he needed to be when they stepped inside the Bradley's home? Ed wondered if he would still be thinking this clearly if it was Nina or Hugh that had been taken. "Pride could have left a grave marker like that, he didn't understand human emotions and attachments but he still had a clear affection towards his Mother and Father. He cried for his 'mama' when he was reduced to his true form and seemed outraged when we told him that Wrath didn't care about him at all. Maybe it wasn't all just a vessel and a alter ego, maybe Selim was part of Pride."

Roy stood up. "What if it was just a way to mock me? Taunt me because my son is waiting for me to find him?"

Ed didn't consider that. "So what's the plan?"

"We'll go with your strategy, I'll confront Mrs. Bradley and you get yourself into the house to sneak around and see what you can find. Provoke Selim and see who he really is. If he's Pride this will all go to hell fast and you need to leave him to me so you can find Maes." Roy put his hands in his pockets to feel for change. "So, any chance I can borrow some money for the pay phone?"

"Are you serious!" Ed exclaimed and some sparrows spooked out of the nearby bush.

"All the money you stole from me over the years and you are going to gripe about some loose change?" Roy said it so casually, antagonizing Ed was like second nature. He needed to distract himslef, to avoid losing his temper and letting his emotions take over. It wasn't easy. He kept staring at Bradley's name etched in granite and kept telling himself he was better than him, _that_ sin wouldn't be his undoing.

"Stole? I borrowed!"

"Now I'm collecting on that debt."

* * *

Roy held his breathe as he stood on the front porch of the Bradley home. It looked prestigious and serene but he knew the ivy covered brick wall on the perimeter was meant to keep the occupants _in_ not offer protection from the outside world. Mrs. Bradley prided herself on her garden, roses of every color, some rare flowers he'd never seen and trusses and arbors covered in wisteria and honeysuckle. Then again she had little else she could do now that she was as sequestered former First Lady and widow of the most hated Furhur in Amestrian history. High society shunned her, she had no family but Selim and she still refused to believe her husband was capable of such atrocities. It put a damper on attendance at her tea parties.

He impatiently knocked again. Now that he resided in a large home he knew it took a while to hear, register and answer the front door but he was in no mood to sympathize right now. He was trying everything in his power to keep himself calm and professional, hence his mind wandering to flowers and social standings of the lady who lived here. He was just trying to avoid thinking about putting his hands on the door and using his alchemy to just let himself in. Today, he was the Furhur paying a visit to the woman to make sure her son was safe and not a kidnap victim like his own boy. It however didn't stop him from putting on his gloves.

The door opened and a surprised Mrs. Bradley looked at him. He could tell from her eyes that she wasn't shocked at his appearance on her doorstep, but worried that she got caught. She was not nearly as good at maintaining a poker face as he was, however he managed to keep it together and not threaten her. "Mrs. Bradley, I believe we need to have a discussion about your son."

* * *

Edward cursed under his breathe as he climbed a tressis covered in what he hoped was just decorative ivy. Oh how his missed alchemy! He still found himself contemplating what elements he had at his disposal to use before remembering that he no longer had the ability to do anything with the knowledge. So here he was, climbing the lattice up to the second floor balcony so he could go in through a door on the second floor. Breaking and entering was so much more fun when he didn't have to do it the hard way. It was also more fun when he was younger.

He pulled himself over the balcony rail and onto the elevated landing. He paused and listened, hoping nobody heard him. Slowly he crept forward to the door and looked in. First thing he saw was a huge painting of Furhur King Bradley looking down at him from above the fireplace. It was enough to get his already pumping heart to pound harder. He gulped and stood up. This was probably the master bedroom, Mrs. Bradley would be the only person who would want a huge oil painting of that man staring down at her while she slept. The handle turned silently and he smiled, but then the door hinges creaked and ruined that super stealthy entry. He gritted his teeth and waited again then opened the door and stepped inside.

Nobody was present in the room, save that creepy lifesize portrait of Bradley. He took a few steps inside and closed the door, noting that the eye in the painting seemed to follow him. He attributed it to the artist being skilled and not some spooky reason like he'd expect from those crime solving mystery comics he read to Nina and Hugh. He walked along the wall and looked around, more cautious these days now that he no longer had alchemy in his arsenal and a family he had to go home to. He had his combat skills and the gun Riza had given him, but he wasn't about to take chances.

He went to the bedroom door and peered into the hall. So far no sounds. Which was good, as it meant Mustang wasn't losing his temper, and bad because a year old baby spent more time making noise than being quiet. He stood there and thought about it. As a parent, he knew that a mother would want her child as close to her as possible at all times. So, in all probability the door across the hallway was Selim's bedroom.

He took two steps and put his hand on the door, taking a brief moment to pray that he'd find a happy, healthy baby boy ready to go home and not something else. He opened the door and looked down at a familiar five year old child as he stood up to greet his visitor.

"Hello, Edward Elric." Selim Bradley said with a smile.

* * *

"Please, sit down." Mrs. Bradley's hands shook as she tried to pour the tea. The hot beverage spilled over the edge of the heirloom cups and on to the saucers as those dark eyes watched her.

"Mrs. Bradley." Roy's voice came out in a hiss as he struggled to maintain his composure. "I am not here to have tea with you, I am here for my son."

"Selim, he's a good boy..." She said, her voice shaking now just like her hands. "Please, don't take him from me."

Roy's jaw clenched and his hands balled up tightly into fists. He stood there looming over her, watching her pat up the spilled tea with a handkerchief as he fought the urge to just show his hand and demand to know where his boy was. Especially after everything her husband had done, he was dying to just show her how that fucking bastard had played the part of Furhur. Instead he had to bite his tongue, he was not going to let wrath win. He had to be better than that. "Mrs. Bradley, I am trying my damnedest to be a rational human being right now but I'm sure you can understand how difficult that is when my son is in danger."

"He's not in danger!" She said. "Selim just wanted a friend! He can't have friends and he misses his father!"

Roy felt his mouth go dry. If Selim missed his father than he had to have cognitive memories of his father. How did a little peanut homunculous grow up after Wrath had being elimiated with memories of his father? This wasn't good. "So he stole _my_ son?"

"Well since you took his father..." She said and realized how she just implicated her son. He looked up at Mustang, his eyes darkened with fury and she jumped up to grab at his coat. "Please! He's all I have!"

"Where is he?" Roy said and stiffened as he hard a gunshot from upstairs. He pulled away from the distraught woman's grasp and raced up the stairs.

* * *

Maes wailed as the silence was broken by a gunshot and ruined his sleep.

Selim frowned and went over to the crib to give the baby a pacifier. "Now why did you do that Edward? Do you really want to ruin our reunion by bringing Mustang running into this? Do you really think you need his help now Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Ed put the gun away after putting the safety back to where it should be. He had fired off a round into the floor, needing to know that Maes was alive and to alert Roy to their predicament before everything went to hell. He took in the statement that came out of Selim's mouth, then realized that the boy probably didn't realize he lost his alchemy. Well, there was only so long that ruse was going to last. "So who are you now? Selim or Pride?"

"Little of both." Selim said and turned as he heard the footsteps in the hall. "Pride can never be killed. It's the one sin you can never completely extinguish. A fresh start without any Father or siblings allowed me to correct my mistakes of that past life and use my rather extensive experience to be patient this time around. To let your human nature see this innocent little boy Selim and let your guard down."

Roy burst into the room and came to a halt next to Ed, his eyes immediately on the crib and that little bastard's hand putting the pacifier in Maes's mouth. He saw from the look on Selim's face, that evil little smile, that this was exactly what he wanted.

"Got my message I see." Selim said. "I miss you Daddy..."

The words sent chills down their spines as that childlike voice that seemed so innocent uttered the words. Yet they both were looking at a young boy with an evil grin as black tentacles, red eyes and a toothy grin emerge from the shadow cast by his young body and reach out to under the crib where Maes lie.

"I realized it would be harder this time to kill you Mustang. You now have seen Truth, you don't need transmutation circles. You didn't preform human transmutation even when your true love was dying in front of your eyes. You didn't even let blindness stop you from doing your job. Everything that should have crippled you, made you stronger. Now that I'm on my own, I had to get you alone and weak. I really wasn't counting on you Edward, I thought you'd be at home with your family. Threatened by the kidnapping and too scared to leave your little ones alone."

"Clearly you haven't met my wife." Ed said quietly.

Selim looked at them both. "I was proud of my family, of my father, who you destroyed. You killed him and took his title and country for your own. Your foolish grandfather-in-law thought he could control me but overseeing my upbringing and condemning us to this prison. Who exactly do you humans think you are? You are beneath us, yet you think you have the ability to control us."

"Us?" Ed said. "Only you. You're the last one of your kind."

"For now." He said. "Pride. A word with so many meanings. I'm certain you are _proud_ of this little human you made, yes Mustang?"

Roy swallowed hard as Selim's hand pet Maes's dark hair and the boy's hands reached out looking for a bottle.

"Proud of something you made. Just as I was made by arrogance. Humans who thought they could play God." He looked back at the two of them. "Two shining examples here. We'll be here all day if I rattle off all your sins so let's cut to the chase shall we?"

Ed remembered when the little homunculus was just a bean in the palm of his hand, crying for his 'mama'. He couldn't take his life, however if he had they wouldn't be standing here right now.

"I want my Father back." Selim said simply. "Make him."

Roy gasped. That's what the kid wanted? So the ransom demand for the philosopher's stone...was so that Bradley could have a core?

"Then you can give him back his job, his country and his family." Selim glared at Mustang.

"Make him?" Ed repeated.

"What Edward? Going to pretend you don't know how homunculus are made? You two are the leading experts on human transmutation. Sure, I know it's got it costs but what exactly is the price you put on your very own _pride_ and joy Mustang?"

"Little obsessed with human transmutation, aren't you Pride?" Ed snapped.

"Why not? It's the epitome of human arrogance." Selim countered.

Roy quietly said, "Go ahead Ed. Draw the transmutation circle."

"Tsk tsk." Selim said. "He doesn't need transmutation circles, remember? Think I'm going to let him get his hands near the floor so he can try and box me up like they did last time?"

Roy heard the grunt from Ed signifying that the blond understood his motives. Pride really did think they were both fully capable of using alchemy. He cleared his throat and whistled. "Smarter than you were last time around."

Selim smiled at the compliment. "Thanks!"

Ed waited, not quite sure what Mustang was planning. Whatever the hell it was it was going to be something quick, something he wasn't going to have much time to react to something like...Black Hayate barking outside.

Selim turned as he heard the dog outside, his childlike instincts of curiosity getting the better of him. Before he could let his tendrils wrap about the baby in the crib a wall was up separating him from his little prize.

Ed was racing towards the crib before Mustang could get back on his feet after creating a wall. He scooped up Maes and said, "Some day buddy, I'm going to tell you all about how your Dad learned that trick from me!"

Roy narrowed his eyes at the little homunculus as Ed raced out of the room carrying Maes. "Pride, an inflated perception of your own self worth. So tell me why I don't burn out every one of those creepy little eyes of yours and reduce this vessel to a pile of ash?"

Selim knew the man was capable of creating flames and light to keep his tentacles at bay. "What would your people think of the Furhur who cremated his rival's only child and burned his home to the ground? Guess it is easy for you, with all that experience you had in Ishval."

So now it came down to this decision, what the hell was he going to do with Selim Bradley?

* * *

"Thank God!" Riza wrapped her arms around her son and her husband as Roy came into the study carrying their first born. Hayate barked and bounced around them, celebrating his victory.

He kissed her temple as she took Maes from his arms and kissed him. He could hear Breda and Ed outside the study telling people to announce the Mustang Baby was safe and further details would be forthcoming.

"Who was it?"

The question didn't come from Riza, but from Grumman. Roy couldn't help but glare at him as he replied, "Selim Bradley or as he still prefers to be called, Pride."

Grumman slunk back down into the chair and slumped his shoulders. "Damn."

Roy wanted to walk over and tell him 'I told you so' but instead let his voice soften and said "You wanted to believe that he could be human, nobody can blame you for that."

"My decision could have cost Maes his life."

"It didn't." Roy said. "However we do need to figure out exactly what to do with him as he's currently locked up in a box in his bedroom guarded by soldiers."

"Clearly I was wrong..." Grumman felt his hand shake as he stood.

"What sets us apart from homunculus is our humanity. Our desire to hope that people can evolve." Roy sighed. "I don't know...what to do with him."

"Well a little time-out won't hurt him." Grumman stood and let a few bones pop. "Why don't you let me handle the press for you, least I can do for pissing you off."

"Some days this job really sucks." Roy sighed. "Why the hell did I want it again?"

"Because the decision weighs heavily upon you even though you could all too easily erase him from this world. That is why this country needs you." Grumman walked over and tussled his little boy's hair. "And the job does suck and I'd rather spoil my great-grandson while you're busy."

Riza wrapped her arm around Roy's neck and kissed his cheek, finally letting tears of joy, fear and despair fall from her eyes after keeping them at bay so long. She heard the door open, the voices of all those people demanding answers and orders clambering in the hall, then the door shut and there was just them again. Grandfather was going to give them some much deserved time alone for as long as they wanted it.

Roy wrapped his arms around Riza and Maes cooed between them. Riza's tears wet his neck and he could feel a few of his own pooling in the corners of his eyes. He felt Hayate sit down on his foot and knew the dog was also finding someway to touch Riza as well. He'd deal with Pride later, right now it was time to enjoy his family and be thankful they were back together again.

* * *

**AN:** I tend to use aspects of anime/brotherhood/manga together as I enjoy working with all of them. It makes my stories AU since it's not following any particular series. I like the idea that the homunculus are are by-product of human transmutation, that their creation is because of man dabbling in God's territory and thus they are created as almost a plague. I also see them still needing a soul and personality, so their bodies may just be like the mannequin soldiers but the philosopher's stone buys them the ability to contain a consciousness in that body and the sin they are given makes them even more human. So that's the concept I used in this ficlet.

As far as Pride/Selim. In brotherhood he did manage to seem like an innocent boy, caring about the poor little bird and making it appear he wasn't a monster. However we're talking about the kid who swallowed up Zolf Kimblee who also was pretty good at pretending to be normal. I like to think he retained those memories mainly because he's still creepy as hell and his particular sin can be good or bad.

Anyhow, thank you for reading. Reviews appreciated.


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